Industry News
Teachers reject minister's class size comments
Posted on 20th March 2008
Schools minister Jim Knight was jeered and heckled during a speech yesterday at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) conference for suggesting that class sizes of over 38 pupils were "acceptable".
He said that having that many pupils in a class is "manageable" provided there are enough classroom assistants.
The minister even went on to say that he had seen primary schools maths classes of up to 70 students being taught successfully with a number of adults on hand to help.
His comments were unpopular with the delegates however, who also criticised the amount that British schoolchildren are tested.
Phil Jacques, an executive member at the ATL, said in his speech that "class sizes of 38 shouldn't be made more manageable. They simply shouldn't exist".
State school teachers have in the past admitted to sending their children to private schools because of the smaller class sizes.
In general, independent schools have significantly smaller classes than those in the state sector, rarely more than 15 pupils.